MusicSmiles.com
The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan

This is Queen Elizabeth's beautiful contralto hymn to her homeland.

Go on! Join in. Be Queen (or King) for a day. Nobody's listening!

O Peaceful England 

O peaceful England,
While I my watch am keeping,
Thou, like Minerva
Weary of war, art sleeping.

Chorus (quietly) Weary of war, art sleeping.

Sleep on a little while,
And in thy slumber smile.
While thou art sleeping
I'll be wakeful, ever wakeful!
Ah!__________________

Sword and buckler by thy side,
Rest on the shore of battle-tide
Which, like the ever hungry sea,
Howls round this Isle.
O sleep till I awaken thee,
And in thy slumber smile!

England, fair England,
Well hast thou earned thy slumber,
Yet though thy bosom
No breastplate now encumber.

Chorus (quietly) No breastplate now encumber.

Let not thy fingers yield
grasp of thy sword and shield,
Thou shalt awake__
And wield Destruction, when I call thee!
Ah!__________________

Sword and buckler by thy side,
Rest on the shore of battle-tide
Which, like the ever hungry sea,
Howls round this Isle.
O sleep till I awaken thee,
And in thy slumber smile!

Chorus (very quietly) Sword and buckler by thy side,
Rest on the shore of battle-tide
Which, like the ever hungry sea,
Howls round this Isle.
O sleep till she awakens thee,
And in thy slumber smile!

And in thy slumber smile!

I dedicate this arrangement of O Peaceful England to Phyllis Smallwood, who was one of the finest contraltos I have had the pleasure of working with. JEA.

Backed up by England's Yeomen! . . .

( Click number to view statistics > > >). Scribe thanks all our  223,547 MusicSmiles visitors up to beginning of September, 2010. 

You may find our special effects work best with Microsoft Internet Explorer